Increase Funding for National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

This year in the United States, more than 1.3 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and the disease will kill nearly 600,000 Americans. Unfortunately, the most recent budget for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) falls short of what is needed to effectively support new research and provide adequate services for survivors.

Recently, the Lance Armstrong Foundation met with Congressional leaders to encourage support for the following initiatives:

The National Cancer Institute needs $455 million to maintain the current pace of discovery
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and is the foundation for the nation's cancer research efforts. NCI-funded research has played a role in every major advance in the fight against cancer over the last 30+ years. Nearly 80% of NCI's annual funding supports external scientists and researchers at 650 universities, hospitals, Cancer Centers, and other sites across the United States and in more than 20 countries, including many who conduct the clinical trials necessary to translate basic scientific findings into cancer treatments. For these reasons, the LAF supports an increase of at least $455 million, or 9.5%, in the NCI's Fiscal Year 2009 budget.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Comprehensive Cancer Control Program needs $33.7 million
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Comprehensive Cancer Control program provides grants and technical assistance to help states develop and implement plans addressing the cancers that affect their communities the most. The LAF supports an increase of $33.7 million in federal funding for the Comprehensive Cancer Control Program that will allow more states to implement previously developed plans.